Device for destroying weeds and vegetation along right-of-way of railroads



Nov. 17, 1931. A. w. KIRKLAND 1,832,030

DEVICE FOR DESTROYING WEEDS AND VEGETATION v ALONG RIGHT-OF-WAY 0F RAILROADS Filed Jan. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l AlberZWKir/rland Nov. 17, 1931. A. w. KIRKLAND 1,832,030

DEVICE FOR DESTROYING' WEEDS AND VEGETATION ALONG RIGHTOFWAY OF RAILROADS Filed Jan. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Qwwntoz w 4mm Wh'l'ricimd Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ALBERT WADLEY KIRKLAND, OF FITZGERALD, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO ATLANTA, BIR- MINGHAM AND COAST RAILROAD COMPANY, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, A CORPORA- TION OF GEORGIA DEVICE FOR DESTROYING WEEDS AND VEGETATION ALONG RIGHT-OF-WAY OF RAILROADS Application filed January 5, 1929. Serial No. 330,682.

My invention relates to the destruction of weeds and other vegetation along the tracks of railways, including steam railroads. It has for its object to provide improved means for using steam generated in a locomotive of any approved or suitable type and from which superheated steam may be utilized by improved means for killing or destroying the weeds or vegetation.

It also has for its object to provide improved features of construction in the maniold' from which the steam in jets or streams is projected against the weeds as the locomotive travels over the railway track.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the features hereinafter described and then sought to be clearly defined by the claims reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front end elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the manifold, with a part of the covering plate broke away;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a portion of the centrally dispos'edmanifold and of one of its hinged sections or wings, and of supporting hangers, with parts in section.

In the drawingsf'the numeral 1 designates a locomotive of any approved construction equipped withusual steam generating accessories, including a superheater header 2, from which steam will be conducted to thesteam distributing manifold as hereinafter described.

Supported from the engine frame and pilot-beam 3 are two parallel beams 4 resting upon the pilot beam'and held, say by clips 5, and metal braces 6 secured to the extending beams and to the front of the pilot beam as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The beams 4 are further supported and braced by rods 7 connected at one end tothe beams and at the other'end, to the front of the locomotiv e as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

From the beams 4 is suspended the manifold steam distributor which preferably comprises a middle or centrally disposed manifold 8 and hinged side wings or auxiliary manifolds 9. The middle or centrally disposed manifold comprises a steam-header pipe 10 having pipes 11 in communication therewith and extendinglaterally therefrom in opposite directions, said pipes at their outer ends being connected together and braced by metallic plates 12, the pipes 11' the ends of the laterally extending perforated pipes 11. The wings or auxiliary side manifolds 9 each comprise a header pipe 15 from which extend lateral pipes 16 in communication with the header pipe to receive steam therefrom, and having perforations 17 in the underside for projection of jets or streams of steam from the pipes, the laterally extending pipes being connected together at their outer ends by a metallic connecting plate 18 to which they may be welded or otherwise attached. These side or auxiliary manifolds are supported from the beams 4 by metallic hangers 19 bolted or otherwise attached at their upper ends to the beams 4 and formed with lower U-shaped loop ends 20 in which will loosely lie the header pipe so as to form a hinge connection of the manifold with its hanger support, a bolt 21 joining the hanger and upper end of its loop portions so as to retainthe header in its seat. To stiffen or brace the central manifold and contribute to its support from the beams 4, transversely extending metallic strips or bars 22 are provided and secured at their ends by nutted bolts 23 to the hangers 19 and also tied by loops or U-bolts 24 to the header pipe 10 of the central manifold as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. The transverse bars 22 connected'to the central manifold and to the hangers 19 as specified tend to stiffen the manifold and to support it from the beams ::0f :thecentral manifold and headers '15 of the sideorauxilrarymanifolds are connected by nipples 26 with a steam supply pipe 27, the nipples being provided with valves, say, globe'valves28, for cutting off steam from one header or another, and the auxiliaryheaders are connected with the nipples by a universal joint, say by a ball and socket joint -29,-s0 as to provide for turning of the auxiliary headers in raising and loweringthe side :manifolds. The lifting and lowering of these sidemanifolds .may be effected by suitable means, for instance,by-cables 300011- nectedfat one to :the manifolds, and associated with windlasses-31 supported by stand- .ards32-rising from theplatform-33 which extends from one beam tto'the other beam a.

.Rods 34 within reach of an operator onpla'tform v33'may extendthrough keepers 35 and be connected'at theirlower ends, :for instance,

by a-fork 36, With the valves 28 so aszto operatethem from the platform 33.

Theipipe 27 receives steam from the superheater header Qathrough pipe-s37 which may :pass .through the housings or boots 38 and through flexible pipes 39 which connect with .theends of :the pipe 27., the connection between the pipes 37 and 39 preferably being a.ball and socket joint 40, or other formof universal oint, and the ,pipes 37 may be pro- .vided with suitable valves 41 for controlling .the passage of superheated steam from the vsuperheater .header 2 to :the manifolds.

.Under the construction described, superheated steam is taken from the superheater header of'the locomotive and conducted directly to the headers of the manifold disxtributors by means-of pipes 37 and -89 which :have-a universal coupling :40 between their meeting-ends, thus making it possible to carry super-heated steam from .the super- :heater header-of.thelocomotive direct to the unanifold distributors instead of supplying :the header of-the manifold distributors with steamtaken from the valve or steamchestof the-locomotive. WVhen the latter is thecase as "shown in .my former PatentNo. 1,610,556,

fzDecem-ber- 14, 1926, the steam delivered into thesteamchest or valve chest becomes somewhat .loweredin temperature due to the ex- Zposed surface area of the steam chest and .valve chest and the efficiency of the superheated steam to someeXtent eimpaired, which is avoided under-the present construction. A

conventional illustration of an ordinary steam chest 42 anddriving piston cylinder 43 .is made and the ordinarysteam=valve casing .or chest omitted because said parts are not made use of as their functions do not enter into the operatlon of the present devlce, and the valve-chest or casing of an ordinary loco- .motive being omittedand also a portion of the usual housing or boot, which ordinarily increases the steam pipe leading from the steam generator to the valve-chest and steam chestbeing omitted, the retained portions of :the housing or bootare-capped as shown.

The illustration given indicates-that-alocomotive engine of ordinary construction may serve for an embodiment of the invention with certain parts not essential to Working of the invention omitted.

A canopy or covering 44 of suitable material may be suitably supported above the central and also the side or auxiliary dis- :tributing steam manifolds so. as-to confine to the vegetationto a .greater-or less degree, the steam issuing from the .manifolds. If desired a shelter for the-operators-of the machine may be provided by. a frame-consisting ofuprights 45 and braces 46and 47 and cover or roof 48 as illustrated.

The locomotive with its attached steam distributing manifolds willbe moved over the rails of the track-way .bya locomotive engine of any approved type coupled .thereto, and the operators standing upon thegplatform of the steam distributing attachment by manipulation of the steam-passage .controlling valves will direct the quantity .of

superheated steam ,deemednecessary for the efiective distribution ofithe weeds and vegetation. along-the right of way, .and whenever found necessary or-desirable oneorboth of the side or auxiliary steam distributingmanifolds may be raised or loweredtothe extent considered best for the needs existing, and likethe-steam in the quantity desired .may be directed through oneor moreor all the steam distributing manifolds provided.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred detailszand relationship of the warious parts constituting an embodiment of the invention, changes may be unade therein without departing from-theessentials sought to be defined bythe appended claims.

Having described the invention, and set forth itsmerits, What I claim .is::

1. A device for destroying weedsand vegetation along a railroad.right-of way, comprising a frame supported in front of.a:locomotive in which steam is generated, steam distributing manifolds supported insuspension from said frame, andcomprisinga cenin front of the locomotive and supporting the side steam distributing manifolds, said hangers which support the side distributing manifolds having the headers of the side manifolds revolubly supported therefrom, and means for supplying steam from the locomotive to the headers of the several steam distributing manifolds.

2. A device for destroying weeds and vegetation along a railroad right-of-way, comprising a frame supported in front of a locomotive in which steam is generated, steam distributing manifolds supported in suspension from said frame and comprising a central manifold having a header and side manifolds hinged to said frame and having a header, hangers supported from the frame in front of the locomotive and carrying the central steam distributing manifold, hangers supporting the side manifolds from the frame and at their lower ends bent upwardly to form seats in which the headers of the side manifolds are revolubly mounted, members connecting oppositely disposed portions of the side manifold hangers and extending across the headers seated therein to retain the headers in osition, and means for supplying steam rom the locomotive to the headers of the several steam distributing manifolds.

3. A device for destroying weeds and vegetation along a railroad right-of-way, comprising a frame supported in front of a steam generator, steam distributing manifolds supported in suspension from said frame and comprising a central manifold having a header and side manifolds hinged to said frame and having a header, hangers supported from the frame and carrying the central steam distributing manifold, hangers supporting the side manifolds from the frame and having the headers 0f the side manifolds revolubly supported thereon, bars extended transversely across and connected with the central manifold and having their ends connected to the hangers which carry the headers of the side manifolds, and means for supplying steam from the steam generator to the central and the side steam distributing manifolds.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALBERT WADLEY KIRKLAND. 

